Drive-thru strip shows? ‘Food 2 Go-Go?’ Nude clubs try to survive coronavirus lockdown

Strip clubs across the country are trying to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, so they’re pivoting to operating models that are conducive to social distancing.

Some have shifted toward obvious methods, such as online platforms, but others have gotten a little more creative.

Drive-thru clubs

Take the Lucky Devil Lounge, for instance.

The Portland, Oregon, outfit has set up a drive-thru strip club in the parking lot after it was forced to close due to social distancing regulations in the state, Oregon Live reported.

Gov. Kate Brown’s order allows for food establishments to offer take-out and delivery, so owner Shon Boulden initially opened delivery service Lucky Devil Eats (originally called Boober Eats), the outlet reported. For a delivery fee of roughly $30, strippers deliver meals to customers between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m..

Not long after, Boulden launched Food 2 Go-Go, a food pick-up service in the club’s parking lot which also includes a toned-down strip show, Oregon Live reported. For $30 a car, plus $10 per passenger, patrons can order food then watch four dancers in pasties and shorts perform under a tent while they wait for their food.

“Every small business is feeling this pain, the same hurt, and we’re just another small business,” Boulden told the outlet. “We’ve just been able to create this niche and it worked.”

A strip club in Las Vegas hoped to try something similar, but its drive-up plans were nixed just before they were set to begin in late March due to Nevada social distancing guidelines, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Little Darlings, located on the Las Vegas Strip, planned to offer 10-minute drive-up strip shows for $100 per patron with tips highly encouraged, according to the outlet.

The closure also put the kibosh on the club’s planned “nude triple-X hand sanitizer wrestling show,” the Journal reported.

Near the end of March in Oklahoma, two strip clubs in Tulsa tried to get their own drive-thru dance show off the ground, the Tulsa World reported.

The owners of Lipstick Cabaret and the Landing Strip hoped to “set up one of those large white tents that you can drive through, so the patron would literally drive into the tent, pay their money, get a private show or a private dance, and not get out of their car,” according to the outlet. The shows would last about 10 minutes.

Jason Giddens, the general manager of both clubs, said he would also check the dancers for fevers, the World reported.

On Aprl 1, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a “safer at home” order that closed non-essential businesses, according to KFOR.

It hasn’t been reported if Giddens’ plans were affected.

Virtual strip clubs

Magic City, an Atlanta strip club, took a different approach after it shut down in March due to the coronavirus, moving to a virtual platform, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

For $20 a month, patrons can log onto the club’s online platform to view live and pre-recorded videos, according to the outlet. Viewers can leave tips for dancers and occasionally chat with them directly.

“We don’t want to leave our people out, without any options,” brand director Daryl Mapp told the outlet.

Die Happy Tonight, a members-only strip club in New York City, launched “virtual reality lap dances” last month due to concerns over the pandemic, the New York Post reported. It’s available online, on virtual reality headsets and on mobile devices.

“People need human connection and need to be entertained,” founder Kalin Moon told the outlet. “VR is a great way to accomplish this from the safety of your own home.”

Virtual reality uses 360-degree camera footage that make viewers feel like they’re in the club and able to move around within the space, the Post reported.

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Drive-thru strip shows? ‘Food 2 Go-Go?’ Nude clubs try to survive coronavirus lockdown."